One Last Time
by SomedayEngland
Summary: Funeral story. Teary, Weasley family. Even now, they would never again see him smile, they would never again hear him laugh. That was all over, this was the end. DH Spoilers.


**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Harry Potter - because if I did, I would be able to rewrite the end of DH.**

AN: Though all of Deathly Hallows (with a few exceptions) was a bit of a nightmare to me - and I simply do not believe that Fred Weasley was killed in the battle at Hogwarts - I was a bit annoyed with some of the fan fictions for George's feelings afterwards. In my opinion, the last thing that he would be thinking is anything along the lines of "Fred would want me to smile, so I will." Could George honestly just get over the fact that his life was torn away from him in a fight against someone the entire world had feared since before he was born? Anyway, rant over. I figured that I would write this, a short story on how I feel George would have reacted had Fred died.

_"Fred's eyes stared without seeing, the ghost of his last laugh etched upon his face."  
_Percy was crying, Ron was crying, Hermione was crying.  
George knew. Right when it happened, he knew. It felt like he had died as well. He stopped fighting and broke. Everything that he had done in the past twenty years slipped away from him and left him as empty as his twin, now lying in their brother's arms, gone.  
Two lives ended in one second.

The funeral had been horrible. No one who had known Fred well could think of anything that they wanted to say out loud, and all that people who hadn't could come up with were pointless comments about the "Fun-loving young man who was taken too soon." What did they know? Anyone that had ever met Fred and George knew what they were like. They knew that they were funny and smart.

And now everyone could also know that they were brave and heroic. Between the two of them, they had given all that they had to add to the debt paid for freedom. But now Fred was gone, and George had gone with him.

George had not even come the funeral. He hadn't seen anyone in three days, and apparently not even this could bring him to. His family had given up on trying to talk to him.

No one could question whether all of this was really worth it. They knew that it was. But still, anyone that had known the twins could not help but wish that there had been any other way.

The Burrow was quiet, as most of the guests had already left. And though it had been hard having so many people around, none of the Weasleys wanted them to go. Fred had not yet been buried, that was waiting for family and close friends. This would be the end, everything would be final.

But it was time. A group of nineteen crying people stood in front of an open coffin. Fred lay pale and cold inside. It was unreal. They had waited so long for it to be a bad dream. That they could all just be their family again. The Weasleys. The _nine_ Weasleys. But it was true. Fred was lying there in front of them. This was the last time that they would ever see him. And even now, they would never again see him smile, they would never again hear him laugh. That was all over, this was the end.

Ginny stepped forward from the rest of the group, tears streaming down her face and neck. She got down on her knees beside her older brother, leaned forward, and kissed him on the cheek. One last time.

Molly Weasley followed behind her, waited until she was finished saying goodbye, then reached down to her little boy, and smoothed the hair from his forehead. One last time.

One after the other, the group said their last to Fred, then stepped back. And again, time went too quickly. Because now that they had said goodbye, they had to let him go. Arthur and Bill Weasley stepped forward once more, this time walking behind the coffin. No one's eyes moved from Fred's face, they knew that he was leaving them for good. Fred. Fred.

As father and brother prepared to close the lid, another person joined the group. A choked voice spoke from behind everyone. "Stop." George stepped past the rest of his family and walked to his brother. His twin. Fred. No one moved or made a sound.  
George didn't move either, he just stared. He just stared at his brother who had been there. He had been there, standing next to him. There _for_ him. George felt it all come back to him. Everything that they had done. School. Work. Everything that they had planned to do. It all caught up to him. Everything that he had been containing somewhere inside of himself was suddenly exposed. George started to cry.

He sank to his knees next to the open coffin and cried. Everything happy, everything sad, everything angry, he cried all of it. He cried on Fred. His twin who knew everything. Who took everything. He cried for the first time.  
He stayed there, for how long no one knows. This was George saying goodbye. Saying goodbye to twenty years. Twenty years past. Slowly he stood up. He stood up, and took the lid of the coffin. Took the lid, and closed it. "Goodbye, Fred"

**There - my bit of depressing babble to further sadden people. If you are a Twin Fan, leave a review. HA! Now you have to:o)**


End file.
